Hidden Figures By Margot Lee Shetterly Segregation / Civil Rights Movement

Before using her Facebook as a means to connect young minds about civil rights movements and issues that still plagues the nation today, Sandra Bland used her social media like every other citizen. That is until just after Christmas of 2014 when she made the decision to speak up about “the economic crisis burdening young African Americans,” trying to, in her words, inform her readers about black history, or American history as she liked to describe it (Nathan). Sandra Bland, a 28 year old African American, had just received a job interview from her alma mater, Prairie View A&M University. Her life seemed to be going smoothly, just received a job offering, rekindled her relationship with her mother, and seemed optimistic about the future to

Racism is still a very prominent issue in America today. Yes, it has improved from the days of slavery, and we do have a black president; but society is nowhere near equal, and that is not acceptable. White Privilege by Paula Rothenberg truly opened my eyes to the extent of the social injustice on African Americans. Just by being white, one is oppressing another race because the privilege and respect that comes with the skin color. Whether intentional or not, the racism is still there and present and that is not acceptable. Being white, I’ve never suffered from the repercussions of racism, but after reading and becoming more aware of the suffering of African American’s, it is significant to write and spread the knowledge about racism and especially implicit racism. Everyone is surrounded by racism on a daily basis, and it’s important to be aware of your actions and the effects they have on society.

In the story, the main character, Lily, ran away to a household of black women. As a white girl running away with her black caretaker to a family of black women, Lily was looked at as a someone who did not get the racial divide, especially during the 1960s. At the beginning of the book, Lily’s caretaker Rosaleen was beaten by white police officers after she spit tobacco onto a couple white men’s shoes after they harassed Rosaleen about registering to vote. This shows how the southern was unwilling to change their views of black people because they were previous slaves. The southern white still viewed the black community as inferior. They treated the blacks still as if they had no rights; the white community beat them, yelled at them, and segregated them. For a police officer to beat a black women on such a little infraction it shows that the white police officer thought he had to break the law to put a black woman “in her place”. This is completely relevant to society today because there are still acts of racism and hate crimes towards blacks. Recently on March 20, 2017, a black homeless man, Timothy Caughman, was fatally stabbed by a white army veteran, James Harris Jackson. Caughman’s murder was later deemed a hate crime. (CBS News) This tragic event happened very recently

White privilege is the societal privileges that specifically benefit white people. White privilege is why white people can get pulled over by the police and escape a ticket with just a smile and apology. White privilege is also why whites are in charge of a company and they see a black person, they bypass the application. Whites carry a certain privilege not available to people of color. Marilyn Frye describes how whiteness is a form social and political power.

A major turning point in Anne’s life was when she heard of the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who had allegedly whistled at a White woman. She was tremendously bothered by the murder and was unable to sleep or work for days. She realizes that she has been greatly unaware of the racial inequality and violence going on around her. When she was younger, she struggled to figure out the difference between the races and she gains no more insight or understanding of why there was such inequality, as she grew older. This causes her to wonder if there any true differences between Blacks and Whites, other than the fact that the Whites typically employed the Blacks. She now fears being murdered simply for being Black.

Hidden Figures is a 2016 film that recounts the story of three incredible black women in NASA history: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. The film largely sheds light on the experiences of these three women working as computers for NASA during 1960s segregated America. Public restrooms are separated between the whites and coloreds, the white male patriarchy dominates the field, and as always, racism is alive and well. During the film, the political unrest of the country is present and very much of conversation, and as these three women navigate their way throughout society with positions no one expects them to hold, they quite literally make history through their groundbreaking work, history

This paper explains how the movie “The Help” goes into great depth to explore the sociological concepts of self and interaction, deviance, and the reality of segregation that still exist today. This paper provides details in the comparison of benefits for children’s, a friend for the mothers, and a maid to help and serve the community. A dark story that elevated into a powerful transformation. A suspense thriller that obtain emotions core with some political twists. A movie that is incredibly uplifting, and a book that would take your breath leaving your mind in awe. It’s a warm, and funny dialog that is quite believable (Goodreads,2016). But, a shocking police stigma that is brutal both physical and verbal. (Ferris, K., & Stein, J. (2010). A silent retribution that only allowed no action other than for blacks to dedicate their lives to the memory of how a white community in Mississippi town used other forms of violence toward black people. So, taboo and the thought of violating evokes strong feelings of disgust for all the maids. While the other white people stop and stare without any remorse. Public scenes that causes deterrence leaving a fear on blacks to turn the other cheek as if nothing was out of the norm. To place more emphasis on why this movie is one to watch; simply because this movie had won multiple rewards such as the Oscar, and the Golden globe award a year after it was released in 2011(Goodreads, 2016).

The Indiana community aren’t always treated equally and fair amongst the white community. They're forced out of town into little areas that were next to no use and are out of the way, of the white community. The only benefit they were to the white community was cheap manual labour. This book shows racism from a negative perspective. Whilst many of the characters in the Novel portray racism or make racist remarks, the main character and narrator (David) challenges this behavior due to his affection for Marie.

The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett, is set in Jacksonville, Mississippi during the 1960’s — a time when white people were considered superior to blacks in the southern United States. Throughout most of the book, we follow the story of a white woman named Skeeter Phelan, who gathers stories from the black women, called ‘the help’, about their work as maids inside of the white peoples homes, and compiles them into a book. The goal of this book is to expose (and eventually get rid of) the racism that these black women are faced with working for their white families. Most of the white people grew up with the help doing whatever they were asked and in turn were exposed to racial inferiority as a normal occurrence.

“Someday somebody’s going to come along and knock this old fence down.” In class we read, The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson. This is a story about a black girl and a white girl who grew up during segregation.

So what i learned between To Kill A Mockingbird and The Help is that they were still treated the same way. Blacks had unfair treatment and were still owned by white people basically. The difference from the two stories was that , blacks got asked about how they were treated and there ideas and opinions about whites and how they were treated. It also talked about their home life too. But in the to kill a mockingbird they accused the man of rape and they all knew he was innocent but they still said he was guilty. They were somewhat similar in both stories to because in to kill a mockingbird Tom was shot and killed in the jail cell because he wouldn’t cooperate with police. But in the help there was a riot 25 black people were killed, and 9

“Seems like God don’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams – but He did give us children to make the dreams seem worthwhile,” once stated by Lorraine Hansberry. Racial segregation has been a huge topic in our society. Believe it or not, just a few decades ago African American people did not have the basic equality rights that white citizens were given. Something as simple as having a dream to become an author seemed out of reach; even impossible some might have said. Living in this kind of a world was unfortunately a reality for Lorraine Hansberry. Growing up she lived in a world of racial segregation and not being giving the same opportunities as fellow white citizens in the United States. Throughout her life civil rights was a major influence for her. Hansberry was able to express the unwavering need for civil rights through her literature. Her poems and plays showed the unjust treatment of African Americans. She was able to make a difference in her own life, as well as the lives of her audience through her portrayal of pre-civil rights.

This statement becomes true when Hilly uses negative tools in order to punish Minny after accusing her of thievery. Aibileen often refers to the “bitter seed” that began to grow inside of her after the death of her son Treelore. The seed makes Aibileen less accepting of the white women who treat her like a lesser human being, and she often feels the seed growing every time a white woman humiliates or degrades her. The individuals with privilege in this novel must realize that they are given an unfair amount of power and should use that power not to maintain their status quo but to help others who have their voices silenced by society. Although each one of the ‘help’ undergo the pretentiousness of the white woman of the South, it is demonstrated that no matter how anyone is treated or how dark a person’s life seems, there is hope.

Minny must overcome the grave decision of taking the risk of letting her life stories be in Skeeter’s book, although the truth she will let everyone see, can destroy her life in an instant if people find out. Even though Minny agrees, multiple times she is hesitant, and seems ambivalent, even if she tries to conceal it. When Ms. Skeeter talks with Minny for the first time, Minny is already on the verge of protecting herself over standing up for what she believes in. “‘No. I change my mind. You find somebody else to spill your beans.’ We’ve been through this before.” (Stockett, 215). Afterwards, Minny soon changes her mind again: “Then she looked at Miss Skeeter, long and heavy. She said, ‘Maybe we keep going then. But you stay out a my personal business, you hear?’” (Stockett, 216). “But truth is, I don't care that much about voting. I don't care about eating at a counter with white people. What I care about is, if in ten years, a white lady will call my girls dirty and accuse them of stealing the silver,” (Stockett, 218). Even if Minny planned on going ahead with Skeeter’s book idea, one can infer that she is constanting doubting herself, although she keeps up with her decision. The reader may also realize how big a decision this is for her. Living in Mississippi in the 1960s, while being a black oppressed maid, Minny is already barely surviving, and used to being passive, like almost every colored person is. Even after some meetings with Skeeter, Minny still is hesitant. “‘You know what’ll happen if people catch us?

Black Feminism argues that sexism, class oppression and racism are linked together. Mainstream feminism that more than often benefits white women, strives to overcome class and gender oppression, however they do not recognise that race can discriminate against women also. Activist, Alice Walker states that black women experience a different kind of oppression when compared to their white counterparts. Professor of Sociology and social activist, Patricia Hill Collins summarises that Black feminism is ‘a process of self-conscious struggle that empowers women and men to actualise a humanist vision of community.’ Her quote welcomes individuals of any gender, whom understands black women’s struggle to fight with them. [Collins, 1991:39]